A new and innovative sealing method for dam faces

The need for sealing dam faces is gaining more and more in importance, not only due to the fact that old masonry and concrete dams have to be refurbished because of safety deficiencies, but also due to the wish of designers to allow a lower concrete quality in connection with an upstream surface sealing. A new and innovative sealing method (PP DAM) was created and applied to the upstream face of an old masonry dam in Switzerland which suffered extremely under Alkali Aggregate Reaction (AAR). The sealing method PP DAM consists of a fully bonding synthetic membrane. The synthetic membrane was especially developed for the sealing of water structures. Due to the use of the PP DAM in the Swiss Alps the membrane was designed to withstand extreme climatic conditions (radiation, low temperatures and ice pressure).